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TECHNOLOGY

Research trends of nanofibers

1) Number of nanofiber-related articles
 

Fig. 7  Transition of number of articles related nanofibers
(From the website of JST J-GLOBAL)

The internet database report tells that number of articles related to nanofibers exceeds 8,000 in Japan as of 2015.

As shown in Fig. 7, number of contribu-tions have been rapidly increasing since2006.
More than 1,000 articles are being contributed and researches are actively being made all over Japan.

2) Research trends

Commercial products that contain nanofibers such as high performance filters and face masks have already been available in the market.
They made use of nanofibers of high dust collection efficiency and low pressure loss.

In the field of regenarative medicine materials that utilize high adhesion to cells and porosity of nanofibers are developed for scaffolds.

Research for composite materials of nanofibers and particles are being conducted worldwide.  Materials for the following applications are also under development by making use of features of the both.
・ Electrodes
・ Separation membranes
・ Conductive membranes
・ Sensors
・ Wound treatment
・ Drug delivery system
・ Functional food
・ Functional clothes
・ Functional paint


 Scaffold that consists of PGA/Collagen composite nanofibers for regenerative medicine by blood vessel induction
(from the webste of NIMS)
 

Structure of dust collectors and filters (from the webste of NEDO)
【References】

    • Scaffold material utilizing nanofibers and its application
      http://shingi.jst.go.jp/abst/p/13/1330/dendai_7.pdf
    • Patent application No. 2014-87735
      https://www.j-platpat.inpit.go.jp/web/all/top/BTmTopPage
    • Patent application No. 2013-124423
      https://www.j-platpat.inpit.go.jp/web/all/top/BTmTopPage
    • “High-tech nanofibres could help nutrients in food hit the spot” The website of University of Lincoln
      http://www.lincoln.ac.uk/news/2015/06/1102.asp
    •  “Flexible and unbreakable transparent conductive film” The website of Tokyo Institute of Technology
      http://www.titech.ac.jp/news/2014/028140.html
    • Search with “electrospinning” at the website of J-GLOBAL
      http://jglobal.jst.go.jp/
    • Development of high performance and energy-saving nanofiber filter The website of NEDO
      http://www.nedo.go.jp/news/press/AA5_100259.html
    • “The functions of shapes Ⅲ – Nanofiber” The website of NIMS
      http://www.nims.go.jp/bmc/group/functional/